Farooq visits Zero Line, pitches for Indo-Pak dialogue

Dr Farooq Abdullah, President, J&K National Conference taking stock of losses caused due to shelling at Gali Maidan, Poonch near LoC.
Dr Farooq Abdullah, President, J&K National Conference taking stock of losses caused due to shelling at Gali Maidan, Poonch near LoC.

Excelsior Correspondent

GALI-MAIDAN POONCH (LoC) Oct 20: Making a fervent appeal to Indo-Pak leadership from Gali-Maidan on Zero Line along Line of Control to resume dialogue and end all hostilities, National Conference President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today strongly pitched for peace and cooperation between the neighbouring countries, saying people of the region in general and J&K in particular can’t live in an atmosphere of animosity and uncertainty anymore.
“Wars haven’t and won’t resolve inherently political issues between India and Pakistan”, he said while walking up to Gali Maidan, the most adversely affected region in the recent mortar shelling, which left almost an entire habitation devastated. Dr. Farooq hoped better sense would prevail upon New Delhi and Islamabad with a realization that mutual cooperation and peace is imperative for growth and prosperity in the region and that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are the primary victims of such animosity.
He called for a meaningful and credible political engagement between the two neighbours, saying dividends of such an enduring peace will be harvested by people living along borders on both the sides who have been hit and hurt most due to episodes of shelling and cross border firing.
During his interaction with border dwellers at Sabjian, Dr. Abdullah expressed solidarity with the people, saying they have been facing the brunt of border skirmishes valiantly. He said the border hostilities were detrimental for both India and Pakistan, as any full-fledged conflict will lead to devastation and destruction in the entire region. “War will not only cause human loss, it will also shatter the economy of the region and the costs of confrontation will be borne by generations to come”, he said, adding that dialogue has no substitute, as even after four wars during the past seven decades all outstanding issues remain unresolved.
Addressing workers at Chandak and Sabjian, the National Conference chief said that the people of Kashmir in general and South Kashmir in particular feel let-down and betrayed by PDP’s alliance with the BJP which was formed despite PDP fighting the 2014 Parliamentary and Assembly elections on an anti-BJP and anti-RSS plank.
“National Conference stands vindicated though unfortunately at the cost of colossal human sufferings, as we had seen through the PDP’s game-plan much earlier” Dr Abdullah said, adding that scripted anti-BJP posturing by a few leaders was just a ploy to fool the people.
He said the impact of PDP’s alliance with BJP has been horrendous and the biggest challenge for National Conference now was to empower the alienated youth so that the Valley is saved from further death and destruction. “We cannot afford to be bystanders being the party of masses and with the legacy of sacrifices that we have in our history”, he said and urged the cadre to meet this challenge with fortitude and dedication.
“New Delhi must not lose any time in addressing the political issue of Kashmir, as any further delay will only worsen the situation”, he said, hoping good sense will finally prevail upon those whose wrong policies have brought the State to the present morass. He cautioned the people against machinations of divisive forces who have miserably failed to govern.
National Conference General Secretary, Ali Mohammed Sagar, Additional General Secretary Dr Sheikh Mustaffa Kamal and Provincial President Jammu Devender Singh Rana also addressed the workers and called for preserving amity and unity, which they described as pivotal for inclusiveness of the State.
Addressing the workers, Provincial Youth National Conference President and former MLA Poonch Ajaz Jan gave a vivid account of sufferings faced by the people residing near the LoC during recent shelling, saying the insensitive Coalition Government failed to reaching out them at the hour of need.

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